Absurdity in Beckett’s Endgame

Bucket's â€Å"Endgame† explores an existence in an era when the importance of being Is Incessantly challenged by man's newfound recognition of the universes absurdity and lack of observable meaning, Written In 1957, the context of the world at the time of this works creation sheds much insight on its themes. In a time of continuous social and technological change scientific observations began yielding a more accurate picture of causality for the world and its phenomena; and the concept of god became ever less relevant. The recent world wars had left ruins in not only cities, but in the concepts driving the nature of man.With the Implicit destruction of deities and sets of traditional rules to govern man's behavior, humanity found Itself at a need to define a different purpose to Its existence. Enter existentialism: A belief in existence despite any discernible meaning, existence for its own sake; heralding with it an implied freedom of choice in both perception and action. As with the then contemporary world view, the characters in Bucket's â€Å"Endgame† are left to survive in the wake of a crumbled world. Free to devise their own world view, the characters respond by developing life affirming routines – mistreating that creation persists even In destruction.Destruction, It would seem does not eliminate an object or Idea, but only redefines its form, beginning its existence anew. Rather ironically, the play begins with Cool repeating the world â€Å"finished†. Consequently, this theme of beginnings and endings as interrelated, cyclical, mutually necessary, and conclusively futile comes to prevail over the course of the play. As with the classic case of the chicken and the egg, the cyclical pattern of creation and destruction is eternal In Its supposed nature.However, to the AOL of Inciting drama or motivation, a story must begin with destruction; a motif with which â€Å"Endgame† is rife. The very setting of the play Immedia tely evokes a sense of catastrophe and destruction. The lifeless â€Å"bare interior (Endgame, 50) is coupled with the â€Å"nothing† or â€Å"zero† (Endgame, 51) reported outside by Cool to Imply at the decay of a once lively outside world; while the imagery of the stage as a skull (with the two windows acting as eyes and the characters as the thoughts) denote the destruction within.During this unmentioned catastrophe, the characters saw the end f their entire world and way of life; thus being forced to redefine their views and behaviors. The destruction of their past worlds leads the characters to abandon their old ideals and ways of life. The bastardly He doesn't exist. † exclaimed Ham when his prayer went unanswered; showing that even god had died in the wake of Ham's personal disaster. However, these new circumstances work to effectively create a new world for the characters to inhabit – a world as senseless as the last.Whether It Is the story about the tailor, which coupled the end of a period of walling he beginning of the world, Ham and Clove's killing the flea from which they believe humanity may have been reborn (Endgame, 591 or the numerous references to Christ, whose death (and subsequent rebirth) – destructive and creative motifs in Bucket's â€Å"Endgame† are presented in tandem. Interestingly, the cyclical nature of life and death renders itself generally nonsensical and pointless.Surely, if all is to end to be reborn anew then a personally crafted purpose will ultimately remain as to exemplify this notion of a circular existence, with many motifs of rebirth such as Cool always returning. In their awareness of death (their own destruction), Bucket's characters foster eternally static routines that they hope will distract them from their imminent demise. They go through the â€Å"†¦ This farce, day after day† (Endgame, 54), as Nell puts it, because there is nothing else to do but delay the ine vitable while they wait.To that end, Becket makes use of repetitive language to denote the futility and repetitiveness of the cyclical nature of life. The play systematically notes upon and enunciates the characters minutest movements, and repeats their most casual interests: from Ham's insistence on remaining at the center of the room (Endgame, 57); to how many pauses Ham takes in his speech; to how Nell repeats herself to Nag, as in the case of â€Å"April afternoon† (Endgame, 56) . â€Å"Let's my dream. A world where all would be silent and still, and each thing in its last place, under the last dust. † (Endgame, 66) says Cool, expressing a desire for order.Yet Cloves constant tidying seems to have no end in sight; especially if he were to direct his efforts to the destruction outside. This tidy end of which Cool dreams would only yield disappointment as he would have no cleaning duty to occupy him and upon achieving it, his life would again become meaningless. In s uch a way, Cloves vision provides meaning to his trudge, which would otherwise dissipate upon achieving his goal. This focus on repetitive actions that delay the inevitable prohibits the discernment of meaning from these same actions, since there is never a final culmination to assess.Still, even the one example of a final product, is by no means fulfilling. â€Å"Look at the world and look – at my TROUSERS. † (Endgame, 56) Says the tailor in Knell's story, as if to belittle the bounty of the world (tongue in cheek, of ours) in the face the quality of his pants. In this case, as in the case of the characters death delaying routine, no amount of postponement will have made the end result worthy. As such, the play essentially stresses a â€Å"damned if you do, and damned if you don't† scenario by showing how any action will eventually be absolved in futility.The theme of futility ties into the very initial metaphor for ends in beginnings: As Cool mutters â€Å"Fi nished, it's finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished. Grain upon grain, one by one, and one day, suddenly, there's a heap, a little heap, the impossible heap. (Endgame, 50), he effectively questions when individual grains live up to the concept of a â€Å"heap. † From this perspective, the heap is an â€Å"impossible† notion, as any single grain is not in itself a heap, and a â€Å"heap† is Just an accumulation of single grains.This view resurfaces yet again, when Ham considers how individual moments make up a life (Endgame, 70). In this instance the analogy maintains that it is an â€Å"impossible† life, consisting not of a life that can be scrutinized as a goal achieved (or not), but of discrete moments that define it (before death terminates it indefinitely). Thus, any creation of meaning incurred during one's life, is presented as ultimately pointless – and only leading to its own destruction with the passing of its believers.Whil e Ham and Cool are in the â€Å"endgame† of their ancient lives, with death lurking around the corner, they are also stuck in a perpetual loop that never allows the to achieve closure. Ham claims he wants to be â€Å"finished,† but admits that he â€Å"hesitate[s]† to do so (Endgame, 51). â€Å"We're not beginning to†¦ To†¦ Mean something? â€Å", Ham wonders, only to be ridiculed by Cool in response him deeply aware of its lack of purpose. Since any ending is also a beginning, there is never any finality, and conclusive meaning is impossible.Besides, any meaning derived would be as shallow as the meaning left behind; while only persisting as long as its belabored. The very expression of Ham's question exemplifies this very struggle; where he delays and repeats words as he attempts to finish the sentence – only to have it become a meaningless gesture in the eyes of Cool. Cool, though aware of the world's absurdity must still subscribe to routi ne. He adheres to the daily procedures of tending to Ham and thus makes it the purpose of his life.Just as death wont arrive to conclude their lives, neither Ham nor Cool can escape existence in catheters presence. Such is the case with Clove's frequent failed attempts to leave the room and Ham's insistence on squashing the flea that might herald with it the human race; the characters appear to fear the destruction of their current realm of existence in favor of another for fear of the new world being worse still. It is consequently implied that the characters loathe the thought of reincarnation into this world; particularly being personally resurrected after death only to face life again.Thus they make an effort to kill all potential propagators of meaningless life such as the â€Å"procreators† that they seek to kill (Endgame, 73), or the incident with the flea the flea: â€Å"But humanity might start from there all over again! Catch him, for the love of God! † (Endg ame, 59) screams Ham, in chase of the flea. In exploring the cyclical nature of destruction and creation, â€Å"Endgame† notes on the futility inherent to the process. The cyclical nature of destruction and creation is rendered meaningless by the very definition of its continuity.Seeing the meaning seep from their previous existence, the characters come to realism that any new purpose will be as unfailing and mortal as the last. In the process of finding purpose in an existence doomed to meaningless, the characters come to occupy their time with senseless repetition that they both despise, and require. In true existentialist fashion, they deem all actions pointless, but are unwilling to stop making them while they still can. This play goes to show that meaning is what you make of it, and that there are no winners at the end of this absurd game called life.

Quantitative Easing

Evan Schrager 11/14/2011 Quantitative Easing Research Paper The term  quantitative easing  (QE) describes a process in which the Federal Reserve expands its balance sheet through purchasing back government bonds from financial institutions with electronically created funds. The government purchases, by way of account deposits, give banks the excess reserves required for them to create new money by the process of  deposit multiplication  from increased lending in the fractional reserve banking system. As the supply of medium and long-term government bonds decreases, their prices increase. This leads to a decrease in their yield; yields are often a determinant of long-term interest rates, mortgages and most business lending. Since it is easier for individuals to borrow money, consumer wealth increases, which leads to investment and consumption increases as well. Risks include the policy being more effective than intended, spurring  hyperinflation, or the risk of not being effective enough, if banks opt simply to pocket the additional cash in order to increase their capital reserves in a climate of increasing defaults in their present loan portfolio. In the quantitative easing process, the Fed goes to a network of dealers, in search of Treasury bonds. The Fed buys the bonds in a competitive bidding process between the approved bond dealers. The Fed takes a bond certificate and gives the dealers freshly printed US dollars. The transactions are done electronically, but it is still referred to as printed money. The US  Federal Reserve  held between $700 billion and $800 billion of Treasury notes on its balance sheet before the current recession. In late November 2008, the Fed started buying $600 billion in  Mortgage-backed securities. By March 2009, it held $1. 75 trillion of bank debt, MBS, and Treasury notes, and reached a peak of $2. 1 trillion in June 2010. The primary dealers can offer to sell the Fed bonds held by their clients. The newly printed money moves from the Fed, to the dealer, to the client’s brokerage account. Cash is moving directly into the real economy. The customer can buy another bond, buy stocks, use it at the grocery store, or simply keep the cash. Right now, however, cash is earning next to nothing, so investors are motivated to find alternative stores of value. They are motivated to spend or invest their cash. With an ongoing battle taking place between inflationary and deflationary forces in the economy and financial markets, it is extremely important for investors to understand how â€Å"quantitave easing† programs will impact their investments and their long term purchasing power. Since quantitative easing represents a threat to our wealth based on its potential adverse impact, this topic warrants serious attention above and beyond a boilerplate analysis. Common references to â€Å"cash sitting at banks† will give investors a poor read on what quantitative easing is and the possible ramifications for our portfolios and the economy. In order to put QE in context, I will discuss the Japanese deflationary spiral of the ‘90s. Japan suffered from stagflation throughout the 1990’s, so the Bank of Japan instituted a quantitative easing program of its own, referred to as QEP. The QEP consisted of three key elements: â€Å"(1) The BOJ changed its main operating target from the uncollateralized overnight call rate to the outstanding current account balances (CABs) held by financial institutions at the BOJ (i. e. , bank reserves), and ultimately boosted the CAB well in excess of required reserves. 2) The BOJ boosted its purchases of government bonds, including long-term JGBs, and some other assets, in order to help achieve the targeted increases in CABs. (3) The BOJ committed to maintain the QEP until the core CPI (which in Japan is defined to exclude perishables but not energy) stopped declining. † The effect of the Bank of Japan’s liquidity injections on bank lending was muted by the substitut ion of central bank liquidity for interbank liquidity. Second, despite the dampening of the stimulus from the liquidity injections due to this substitution, there was a positive and significant effect of liquidity on bank lending. This implies that quantitative easing can affect the supply of credit, particularly during periods of financial stress. However, the overall effect was fairly small, so that huge amounts of liquidity would have been needed to achieve noticeable effects. Third, weak banks benefited more from QEP than stronger banks. However, â€Å"the rapid unwinding of liquidity infusions observed at the conclusion of QEP had little impact on lending growth once bank health and confidence in the banking system had been restored. † It is possible that QEP exerted ositive effects, but that these were simply overwhelmed by the drag on total spending coming from weakness in the banking sector and balance sheet problems among households and firms. Since there are a number of ways that QEP may have stimulated spending, we can infer that the QE programs in the United States will stimulate some spending as well, but perhaps we will overestimate the effects just like Japan did years ago. When you consi der some of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds may participate in QE, you can understand the potentially broad impact of the Fed’s actions. The largest ones control billions of dollars. With the currency risk involved when foreigners hold treasury bonds, it is not a stretch to believe that some sovereign wealth funds will be interested in selling some of their treasuries to the Fed in exchange for newly printed US dollars. They may also quickly exchange the cash for gold, silver, copper, oil or stocks to reduce their currency risk. Fears of future inflation can make cash unattractive in the eyes of investors and consumers. A big part of the Fed’s approach is to increase the expectations of future inflation since it can change the investing and buying habits of businesses and consumers. Since there are many unknowns, and many moving parts, listen with skepticism to anyone who claims to know the long term impacts of QE programs on both the financial markets and the economy. † We need to better understand the QE process, and monitor and assess the market’s reaction to details as they are released by the Fed. We must be willing to make inflationary a nd deflationary adjustments based on market internals and economic data. Adopting a â€Å"QE will work or won’t work† approach in advance would be highly speculative. Flexibility is always important in the markets, but maybe more so when it comes to the possible long term impacts of QE. This newly printed money will find its way around the globe, impacting currencies, commodities, and foreign stock markets. According to Brian P. Sack of the NYFRB, â€Å"The effect of asset purchases on the economy remains a point of ongoing debate, with some uncertainty about the channels through which such purchases operate and the magnitude of those effects†¦ In particular, by purchasing longer term securities, the Federal Reserve removes duration risk form the market, which should help reduce the term premium that investors demand for holding longer term securities. That effect should, in turn, oost other asset prices, as those investors displaced by the Fed’s purchases would likely seek to hold alternative types of securities. † â€Å"Nevertheless, balance sheet policy can still lower longer-term borrowing costs for many households and businesses, and it adds to household wealth by keeping asset prices higher than they otherwise would be. It seems highly unli kely that the economy is completely insensitive to borrowing costs and wealth, or to other changes in broad financial conditions. † Notice the references to â€Å"boosting asset prices,† and â€Å"lowering borrowing costs,† and â€Å"adding to household wealth by keeping asset prices higher. From Mr. Sack’s perspective, the Fed buys intermediate term treasuries, which drives down the yield for new investors. Mr. Sack hypothesizes that those new investors will decide to purchase other bonds, perhaps with longer maturities as they search for higher yields. As the Fed pushes demand to other areas of the bond market, longer term interest rates would fall. As new investors look at their options, they may decide to purchase other high yielding assets since the Fed’s actions have made yields on more conservative investments unattractive. Since the Fed promises to remain in the market with QE for an extended period, the risk associated with holding stocks, higher yielding bonds, commodities, precious metals and real estate are reduced. If you think in extremes, if the Fed stated that all treasuries would pay no interest for the next 5 years, investors would move into investments with more risk in search of higher yields. A good way to summarize QE is as follows: QE attempts to lower long term interest rates, keep them low for a pre-defined period of time, while pouring cash into the economy in an effort to boost consumption and investment. Like gold, US dollars have value only to the extent that they are strictly limited in supply. The government has technology that allows it to produce as many US dollars as it wishes at essentially no cost. By increasing the number of US dollars in circulation, or by threatening to do so, the US government can reduce the value of a dollar in terms of goods and services, which is the same as raising the price in dollars of those goods and services. Thus, we can conclude that, under a paper money system, a determined government can always generate higher spending and hence, positive inflation. The important takeaway is the concept, which is to print money, and devalue the purchasing power of US dollars in your wallet/bank account. Based on the government and Fed’s extreme actions during the financial crisis, it is safe to say that we have a determined government. Investors cannot underestimate how determined our government will be, in terms of â€Å"how much money are they willing to print? † and â€Å"what assets are they willing to buy? † For example, if buying T-bonds doesn’t work, what prevents them from moving to corporate bonds, stocks, residential housing, or commercial real estate? That sounds extreme, but five or six years ago, having the Fed buy treasury bonds or having the government take over AIG seemed extreme. But that happened right before our eyes. A problem around the globe is weak balance sheets from consumers to corporations to municipalities all the way up to the United States’ assets and liabilities ledger. There are two ways to address weak balance sheets. You can attack the asset side or the liability side. During recessions, bad debt is removed from the system when entities go out of business, defaulting on their debts. This is a painful part of a recession, but is necessary to allow capital to reform, which eventually leads to new investment and sustainable economic growth. The hard way to address our problems with balance sheets is to let those who deserve to fail go out of business. Unfortunately for the country’s long term outlook, the hard way, or short term pain, does not sit well with those in positions of power—especially politicians, who are always concerned about the next election. This is a huge flaw: we need to think in terms of what is best for the future of our country instead of thinking in the short term. If we need to reduce our standard of living in order to combat the national deficit, then so be it. Americans need to stop complaining about the recessionary conditions and must make sacrifices now in order to guarantee future standards of living. In order to understand all of the bailouts, government takeovers, and money printing, you basically need to think about powerful people in business and government who are simply trying to stay in power, regardless of whether or not their actions are in the best long term interest of shareholders, taxpayers, and ordinary hard working citizens. These comments do not apply to the select few in positions of power who still make decisions based upon sound principles and integrity, but most politicians do not. I’ll stay away from this topic because it is a political issue, but quite relevant so I felt it was worth mentioning. In a healthy credit market, banks lend while consumers and businesses borrow to invest and consume. Demand, based upon available credit, boosts asset prices and profits. As asset prices rise, balance sheets strengthen. With healthy balance sheets, businesses and consumers feel wealthy, and borrow more, invest more, and consume more. This is known as the wealth effect. As asset prices rise, the collateral backing the loans remains sound, allowing the banks to lend even more, and around and around we go, until credit causes the creation of too much supply. A good example is the recent overbuilding in the housing market. Then asset prices begin to fall. Now the wealth effect becomes the reverse wealth effect, as consumers, businesses, and banks begin to see their net worth deteriorate. When the Fed lowers interest rates, they attempt to spur borrowing and lending. This, in turn, can get the wealth effect back into gear, as borrowed money creates demand for goods, services, and assets. In the present day, traditional banks are reluctant to lend, and many consumers either don’t want a loan, or cannot get a loan. In this environment, the Fed, via QE, is trying to spark the wealth effect by attempting to re-inflate asset prices. QE II refers to the decision in November 2010 in which the FOMC announced the purchases of 600 billion longer-term treasury debt. A fair question to ask is, â€Å"Why did we pursue QEII? There are several reasons the government went through with another round of QE. Firstly, the Japanese experience with mild deflation and a near-zero nominal interest rate has been poor. Second, inflation in the US was close to the implicit FOMC inflation target during the first part of 2010. However, during 2010, a renewed disinflation trend developed and the recovery slowed down in the summer of ’10. These developments leav e the US at risk of a Japanese-style outcome. Was QEII effective? The financial markets effects of QEII looked the same as if the FOMC had reduced the policy rate substantially. Specifically, real interest rates declined, the dollar depreciated, and equity prices rose. These are the classic financial market effects one might observe when the Fed eases monetary policy in ordinary times (in an interest rate targeting environment). The QEII experience shows that monetary policy can be eased aggressively even when the policy rate is near zero. However, it is difficult to observe the overall effects of QE and QEII because of the lags involved. Effects on the real economy would be expected to lag by six to twelve months. Real effects are difficult to disentangle because other shocks hit the economy in the meantime. This happened, apparently, during the first half of 2011, and is a standard problem in evaluating monetary policy. Overall, QE2 has shown that the Fed can conduct an effective monetary stabilization policy even when policy rates are near zero. Now I will discuss investment strategies for inflationary and deflationary outcomes of quantitative easing. Inflationary and deflationary forces coupled with possible Fed intervention require a flexible approach to financial markets. Common sense tells us that money printing is probably not the path to long term prosperity, but I do believe QE can impact asset prices in a manner not fully understood by many individual investors as well as many financial advisors. If the Fed is successful for a period of time, I would invest in inflation friendly and weak-dollar assets such as gold, silver, copper, oil, and emerging market stocks. If the Fed fails in the long run, then a deflationary spiral may be the outcome, making cash, gold, dividend payers, conservative bonds, and CDs attractive. Middle of the road choices include utilities, consumer staples stocks, and other dividend payers. Financial markets tend to anticipate Fed announcements. We always have to be on our toes for information/news relevant to QE. If you read the writings of Ben Bernanke and more recently writings by James Bullard, you know the Federal Reserve is willing to use every tool and printing press in their arsenal in attempt to re-inflate asset prices and restore some semblance of the wealth effect. However, we must understand that the Fed faces high hurdles, in the form of mountains of global debt and fragile asset prices. So far, the U. S. has been able to get away with massive debts and unsustainable deficits for one simple reason. The U. S. dollar is still the world’s reserve currency, as it has been effectively since World War II and literally since the early 1970? s. Because all governments and banks in the world accept and hold U. S. dollars as the majority of their reserves, the United States is able to simply print more money whenever it cannot afford to pay for things that it needs. Besides this, the country can borrow money in its own currency at incredibly low interest rates that we have seen approach almost zero. US citizens personally benefit in another critical way every time that they stop to get gas. With the U. S. dollar as the international reserve currency, oil and almost all  commodities  are all priced in dollars. As a result, you see an enormous amount of inexpensive goods available. Food items and other items that use oil/gas as inputs are extremely cheap. This makes restaurants and other attractions affordable in America. The level of wealth seen in the United States is simply unprecedented, and most of this results from the benefits of the dollar as universal reserve currency. There will be dramatic consequences difficult to imagine if the dollar finally ceases to be the reserve currency of the world. Should this happen, then the value of the dollar will plummet. The immediate painful effects will be that commodities prices skyrocket. These would no longer be priced in U. S. dollars, and you would see the falling value of the dollar buy fewer and fewer commodities. Gasoline at five to ten dollars a gallon is not only possible, but highly likely. Along with higher gas prices, we could see higher prices for anything that uses oil to ship goods around the world. This means practically everything that you buy would all cost dramatically more. As prices skyrocket, your lifestyle would sustain a punishing drop overnight. This is a very scary succession of possible events. Unfortunately, this is not the only consequence that you would see of a dollar that is no longer the reserve currency of the world. Interest rates would rise dramatically. They could easily reach ten to fifteen percent. This would wreck the housing market far worse than it is today. It would also cause the stock market to crash by almost half in a number of weeks. As the costs of supplies and materials go up with the falling currency value, businesses would be forced to cut back on  employees  because of their falling sales. Unemployment could reach twenty to thirty percent or more as a result of this. As if this is not bad enough,  inflation  would be sky high along with the rising prices and disappearing jobs. It is important to remember that the only thing that has to occur for all of these terrible things to happen is for other countries to prefer to be paid in anything besides U. S. Dollars. In the event that non-United States holders of dollar-denominated assets decided to shift holdings to assets denominated in other currencies, there could be serious consequences for the US economy. The possibility of QE3 has some serious implications, although Bernanke has denied that there will be another round easing. The dollar has plunged nearly 20% against the euro over the last year and a half, a period that includes the run-up to and aftermath of the last round of quantitative easing, the Fed's $600 billion bond-buying program known as QE2. But a QE3 may not pack the same dollar-slamming punch. If there is a QE3, the dollar's fall could easily approach 10% on a trade-weighted basis against rival currencies, said David Woo, head of G-10 global rates and currencies research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York. But â€Å"the market is now more skeptical of the benefits of QE for the economy,† Mr. Woo said. â€Å"It is possible that by extension this means any short-term [dollar] decline on the back of QE3 will be also more limited. † Instead of QE3, Bernanke and the Fed decided to implement â€Å"Operation Twist,† a widely expected stimulus move reviving a policy from the 1960s. The policy involves selling $400 billion in short-term Treasuries in exchange for the same amount of longer-term bonds, starting in October and ending in June 2012. While the move does not mean the Fed will pump additional money into the economy, it is designed to lower yields on long-term bonds, while keeping short-term rates little changed. The intent is to thereby push down interest rates on everything from mortgages to business loans, giving consumers and companies an additional incentive to borrow and spend money. Some reputable names believe the dollar is going to depreciate in value over the next decade or two. Bestselling authors Robert Wiedemer of â€Å"Aftershock† and David Skarica of â€Å"The Great Super Cycle† both forecasted the housing collapse, financial crisis, and stock market collapse years ahead of them happening. They are calling for a collapse of the dollar. This could lead to many unsophisticated investors to â€Å"hop on the train†, causing a swing in technical expectations. QE attempts to lower long term interest rates, keep them low for a fairly well-understood period of time, while flooding the economy with cash in an effort to boost consumption and investment. In my opinion, quantitative easing in the US was a mild success. The markets were in a state of flux and we needed to do something. QE2 was necessary because we needed to increase the scale to which the LSAPs (large scale asset purchases) affected the economy. As for QE3, I don’t believe it is in our country’s best interest, because it would show even greater weakness, leading many foreign investors to flee from the dollar. Somewhere down the line, I predict that the IMF will attempt to overtake the dollar as the world reserve currency, but it certainly won’t happen overnight. If this happens, Americans will have to downgrade their wealthy standard of living due to increased commodity prices. However, I don’t believe the US Dollar will lose its currency reserve status anytime soon, nor do I believe that QE3 will happen. My recommendation is to continue QE in small amounts, unwinding it under Bernanke’s plan from his September speech in Minneapolis. Bernanke has stated that there will be no more easing, but you never know with the â€Å"Bernanke, Obama, Geithner brain trust. † Thus, our best option is to remain flexible in our policy schemes and monitor and react to relevant news as best as we can. Ben Bernanke concludes his Minneapolis speech in an attempt to reassure us that our country will be okay. â€Å"The Federal Reserve will certainly do all that it can to help restore high rates of growth and employment in a context of price stability. † Let us hope they act with rationality and in the best interest of the long term growth and stability of our economy. If America is ever going to dig itself out of the enormous debts it has taken, we must not devalue the dollar to the point that it is phased out as the world reserve currency. Perhaps a downgrade in American’s standard of living is necessary to reduce the deficit by a significant enough margin. There is some hope for a return to prosperity and consistent growth, but Americans need to be aware of the implications of QE on their portfolios and their long term purchasing power. Works Cited 1. United States. Richmond Federal Reserve. By Thomas M. Humphrey. The Theory of Multiple Expansion of Deposits: What It Is and Whence It Came. Mar. -Apr. 1987. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. . 2. A QE1 Timeline. † Calculated Risk, 03 Oct. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . 3. Ciovacco, Chris. â€Å"Video Series: Quantitative Easing. † Ciovacco Capital Management. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. . 4. Sack, Brian P. â€Å"Managing the Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet – Federal Reserve Bank of New York. â€Å"Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 04 Oct. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . 5. Bowman, David, Fang Cai, Sally Davies, and Steven Kamin. Quantitative Easing and Bank Lending: Evidenc e from Japan. †Ã‚  Www. federalreserve. gov. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, June 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. ;http://www. federalreserve. gov/pubs/ifdp/2011/1018/ifdp1018. pdf;. 6. Eichengreen, Barry. â€Å"Dollar's Reign as World's Main Reserve Currency Is Near an End. â€Å"Foreign Exchange Report. The Wall Street Journal, 02 Mar. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. 7. Herold, Thomas. â€Å"What If The U. S. Dollar Loses Reserve Currency Status? † Wealth Building Course, 14 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. ;http://www. wealthbuildingcourse. om/dollar-loses-reserve-currency-status. html;. 8. Bullard, James. â€Å"QE2: An Assessment. † Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 30 June 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. ;http://research. stlouisfed. org/econ/bullard/pdf/Bullard_QE_Conference_June_30_2011_Final. pdf;. 9. Wieland, Volker. â€Å"Quantitative Easing: A Rationale and Some Evidence from Japan†, in  NBER International Seminar on Macroeconomics 2009  (2010), Univ ersity of Chicago Press   http://www. nber. org/papers/w15565 10. Cronin, Brenda. â€Å"Slow-Paced Recovery Feels Like a Recession. † The Wall Street Journal, 10 Oct. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 011. ;http://online. wsj. com/article/SB10001424052970203499704576623053674426690. html;. 11. Fontevecchia, Agustino. â€Å"Central Banks Dump Treasuries As Dollar's Reserve Currency Status Fades. † Forbes, 03 Mar. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. ;http://www. forbes. com/sites/afontevecchia/2011/03/16/central-banks-dump-treasuries-as-dollars-reserve-currency-status-fades/;. 12. Case, Karl E. , John M. Quigley, and Robert J. Shiller. Wealth Effects Revisited. Yale University, Feb. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. ;http://cowles. econ. yale. edu/P/cd/d17b/d1784. pdf;. 13. Rooney, Ben. IMF Discusses Plan to Replace Dollar as Reserve Currency. † CNNMoney, 10 Feb. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . 14. Weisenthal, Joe. â€Å"This Is How The Dollar Could Lose Its Reserve Currency Status. † Business Insider, 15 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . 15. Bernanke, Ben. â€Å"The U. S. Economic Outlook–September 8, 2011. † Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 08 Sept. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . 16. Hamilton, James. â€Å"5 Key Arguments Against Quantitative Easing. † Business Insider, 20 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. . 17. Johnson, Andrew J. â€Å"Sizing Up Dollar's Pain From a QE3. † The Wall Street Journal, 05 Sept. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. . 18. Censky, Annalyn. â€Å"Federal Reserve Launches Operation Twist. † CNNMoney, 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 011. . ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Richmond Federal Reserve. By Thomas M. Humphrey. The Theory of Multiple Expansion of Deposits: What It Is and Whence It Came. [ 2 ]. Wieland, Volker. â€Å"Quantitative Easing: A Rationale and Some Evidence from Japan† [ 3 ]. Calculated Risk. â€Å"A Q E1 Timeline. † [ 4 ]. Videos: Quantitative Easing, Chris Ciovacco [ 5 ]. Videos: Quantitative Easing. Chris Ciovacco [ 6 ]. Bowman, â€Å"Quantitative Easing and Bank Lending: Evidence from Japan. [ 7 ]. Bowman, â€Å"Quantitative Easing and Bank Lending: Evidence from Japan. †Ã‚   [ 8 ]. Hamilton, James. â€Å"5 Key Arguments Against Quantitative Easing. † [ 9 ]. Hamilton, James. â€Å"5 Key Arguments Against Quantitative Easing. † [ 10 ]. Sack, Brian P. â€Å"Managing the Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet [ 11 ]. Wieland, Volker. â€Å"Quantitative Easing: A Rationale and Some Evidence from Japan† [ 12 ]. Wieland, Volker. â€Å"Quantitative Easing: A Rationale and Some Evidence from Japan† [ 13 ]. Cronin, Brenda. â€Å"Slow-Paced Recovery Feels Like a Recession. † [ 14 ]. Case, Karl E. , John M. Quigley, and Robert J. Shiller. Wealth Effects Revisited. [ 15 ]. Bullard, James. â€Å"QE2: An Assessment. † [ 16 ]. Bullard, James. â€Å"QE2: An Assessment. † [ 17 ]. Videos: Quantitative Easing, Chris Ciovacco [ 18 ]. Eichengreen, Barry. â€Å"Dollar's Reign as World's Main Reserve Currency Is Near an End. † [ 19 ]. Fontevecchia, Agustino. â€Å"Central Banks Dump Treasuries As Dollar's Reserve Currency Status Fades. † [ 20 ]. Eichengreen, Barry. â€Å"Dollar's Reign as World's Main Reserve Currency Is Near an End. † [ 21 ]. Weisenthal, Joe. â€Å"This Is How The Dollar Could Lose Its Reserve Currency Status. † [ 22 ]. Rooney, Ben. â€Å"IMF

Martin Luther King – I Have a Dream Analysis

Topic Choice: The topic choice ‘I have a dream’ was chosen after a lot of soul searching. It reveals the speaker’s previous experiences growing up and living in a segregated society. He only dreamt of being treated as an equal citizen, not based on the colour of his skin and ethnic background. This topic was directed at millions of African Americans suffering from extreme poverty as a result of being denied opportunities in their own country. The topic resonated with everyone in the crowd on that day and would be repeated several times in the speech.The majority of the people taking part in the march for freedom on that day only dreamt of being accorded the same opportunities and rights that their fellow white citizens enjoyed. ‘I have a dream’ was an excellent topic choice for the event and still remains synonymous with the struggle for freedom up to this day Word Order: In [1], the speaker acknowledges and thanks the audience for attending the histo ric march for freedom and equality, and he reminds them that that particular day would go down in history as the greatest for freedom in the United States of America.He takes them back five years ago and reminds them that despite all the joy and hope they felt when Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Act, freedom was still far away. Nothing had changed among blacks, Hispanics and other visible ethnic minorities living in the United States: [1] â€Å"Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity†.Martin Luther King’s demeanor was calm and collected and waited for the words to sink in the audience’s mind before proceeding with the next part of the speech. The order of his words was well org anized right from the start: [1] and [2] talks about the Emancipation Proclamation and its mirage sense of equality. [3], [4] and [5 is a reminder for the United States Government to apply the Emancipation Proclamation to all men black and white. [6] and [7] is a declaration that unless the situation was corrected by the government, revolutions and disturbances will continue. 8], [9] and [10] is a reminder to the audience of the importance of avoiding violence and to restore to peaceful and dignified protests. [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18] and [19] are all an inspirational talk that is the essence of the speech ‘I have a dream'. Stress, Intonation and Coherence: The speaker stresses the importance of his message through his tone. This was not considered an ordinary message. This was supposed to be an extraordinary message from an extraordinary man at a crucial point in the history of African Americans in the United States of America.This was the only non viole nt weapon available to millions of disadvantaged people and the speaker knew the importance of this historic occasion. The speech had been written and revised several times until the Reverend Martin Luther King felt it was now ready to be delivered. Despite all the care, thought and effort put into drafting this speech, its message would be useless if it was not delivered in a coherent and logical manner. In [2] people are still reminded that the Negro is still not free. By invoking the word Negro, he really wanted to bring the message home to thousands of African Americans across America.The tone of his voice was authoritative, commanding as well as captivating the audience. He constantly reminded black people in America how they were living in dire poverty when in fact they were living in the richest country on earth. He was aware that his message would be broadcast in millions of homes across America and the world at large. There were applauses and cheering coming from the thousa nds of people standing in the crowd urging him to go on with the speech. His message was being well received: [2] â€Å"One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition†. In [2], Martin Luther King was not only reminding black people that they were languishing in poverty and being denied all the available opportunities in the land of plenty, but he was speaking directly to the United States government and the majority of white people in America. He was merely telling them they should not forget how wealthy they were at the expense of the suffering poor black people and it was time to change the status quo.Therefore, his audience was not just the thousands of people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial, but the millions of white people who would be watching and listening to his speech in their luxurious homes. Local Semantic Moves: The s peaker does not use just ordinary language to convey his message. He makes use of a number of semantics to enrich and make his message bold. In [3] he speaks of having come to the nation’s capital to cash a cheque and refers to the Declaration of Independence as a promissory note signed by the government.Once a promissory note is signed one cannot go back on that promise and by this he was reminding as well as warning the government that they had to act on their promises and failure to do so would continue to be met with demonstrations across the country. In [4] the speaker, reminds the authorities of having defaulted on their promissory note and the black people’s refusal to believe that there are â€Å"insufficient funds in the bank of justice† and that there are insufficient funds in the† great vaults of opportunity â€Å"of this nation.He invokes colorful language of banking to add meaning to his speech. He maximizes the use of his great oratory skill s. By using semantics, he keeps his audience attentive and wanting to hear more. Martin Luther King chooses his words carefully to inspire in his audience the attitude he wants them to adopt in their quest for freedom, a non violent pursuit o freedom: [8]†We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.Again and again [slightly rising intonation] we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. † Words such as â€Å"dignity, discipline, creative protest, majestic heights, and soul force† inspire a sense of self worthiness and mature dignity in the audience. In [10] King chooses his words brilliantly to reinforce the notion of a peaceful protest. He tells his audience that he is not â€Å"unmindful† of their situation. He totally understands and shares their plight and hardship. The speaker uses adjectives such as †Å"storms nd winds† in describing the audience's fight for freedom. It is like a typhoon that twirls them around and rips them apart but they have to endure it with â€Å"creative and redemptive suffering† and go back to their towns, to their demeaning jobs and to their ghettos to continue their dignified struggle for freedom. King used stimulating words to inspire his audience to seek their lost freedom but at the same time he chose his words carefully to control the probable physical effect of his inspiring words.He was protecting his hearers from any form of violence and brutality that might erupt after the speech. Speech Acts and Schematic Organisation: Throughout his speech, the speaker shows an impeccable sense of organisation and shows how gifted he is in the art of speaking. In [5] and [6] he invokes a sense of urgency of attaining freedom. He reminds the authorities of the seriousness of the matter despite the fact that he might be put in jail after the speech. Here is a man who knew anything could happen to him immediately after addressing this crowd and the nation.He displays his charisma and fearlessness: [5] † NOW [rising intonation] is the time to make real the promises of democracy. † â€Å"NOW [rising intonation] is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. † â€Å"NOW [rising intonation] is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. † â€Å"NOW [high intonation] is the time [pause] to make justice a reality for all of God's children. He emphasizes the word ‘now’ in [5] indicating that they were tired of waiting and something had to be done immediately to address these social injustices. In [6] the speaker warns the authorities of the repercussions of ignoring their requests: â€Å"There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizen ship rights. † This was no joking matter. Although the speaker was addressing the audience gathered at the Lincoln Memorial, this particular message was directed at the United States government and the whole world was listening and watching.In [7] his tone changes as he reminds the authorities once again of what awaits them if they don’t address their concerns: â€Å"The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. † Despite these seemingly harsh and inciting words, the speaker quickly turns his speech around and addresses the black people warning them never to use violence or revenge as a means of attaining freedom. He displays his rhetorical and organizing skills in the process.In [8], [9] and [10] he skillfully urges all black people in America to continue fighting for freedom none violently. Propositional Structures turn Takings, Repairs and Hesitation: In [11] the speaker shows that he is a great man of faith and strength. Despite all the injustices and persecution, he is prepared to continue leading his people in the fight for freedom. He strongly believes that all human were created equal and should be entitled to the same opportunities.In [12], [13], [14] and [15] he starts each of the next paragraphs with a very strong and authoritative voice making the same utterance ‘I have a dream’. This is met by thunderous applauses and delight from the audience. At times he seems to hesitate to start the next sentence. He is simply making sure that his message is sinking deeper into his audience’s hearts and minds: [12] â€Å"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. [13] â€Å"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. † [14] â€Å"I have a dream that one day [pause] down [long vowel] in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day down RIGHT THERE [high voice] in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. [15] â€Å"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. † The power of the speech’s title is clearly visible in all these words and they get the crowd jumping up and down, clapping their hands and nodding their heads all in agreement with the speaker. Hope and Freedom In [16], [17], [18] and [19] in the closing stages of his speech, Reverend Martin Luther King changes his speech act in order to drive the final message home.While he has been addressing the United States government and other stakeholders, his attention now turns to the African American gathered here and listening across the United States. He reminds them that despite all the suffering there is still hope and freedom is coming. People just need to persevere. In [18] he reminds the whole nation that freedom is coming to all corners of their country: [18] â€Å"So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. (a) Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. (b) Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! c) Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! (d) Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! (e) But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! (f) Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! (g) Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. (h) From EVERY MOUNTAINSIDE [high intonation] let freedom ring. † The tone in his voice changes considerably when he makes these utterances. His voice displays the seriousness, urgency and boldness associated with the quest for freedom.His concluding remarks show a man who has devoted his life fighting for equality and social justice. He reminds the American people of the beauty of allowing every human being to be free. In his mind, despite all the challenges and struggles of life, the black people will definitely be free one of these days: [19] â€Å"FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST! THANK GOD ALIMIGHTY, WE ARE FREE AT LAST! â€Å"[high intonations][applause and cheering]. The Results of the Analysis: The analysis of this speech illustrates how the Critical Discourse Analysis can explain hidden meaning in language.It does not dwell on one particular theory of discourse analysis but embraces a number of theories available. Using a number of different ling uistic markers has revealed a number of linguistic traits displayed by Martin Luther King. A critical analysis of the topic choice reveals that it was chosen after a thorough and thoughtful process. ‘I have a dream’ becomes engrained in most parts of the speech as a way of emphasising the central theme of the message. The speaker’s style of presentation and rhetorical skills are unique.The speech invokes historical injustices that are still visible in American society and need to be urgently addressed. Just like the urgency with which poverty, injustice and lack of freedom has to be addressed, the speaker delivers his speech with so much punch and vigour. He uses very colourful language in trying to add more meaning to his speech. The audience are mesmerised by the strong and powerful message conveyed by the speech itself. The speaker switches his attention between the people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Authorities as he subconsciously addresses them every now and then.Overall, this was a brilliant speech on a historic occasion which managed to achieve its main objectives. The message was heard by African Americans and the United States government loud and clear. This speech has gone down in history books as one of the best speeches ever to be delivered and still remains an inspiration to millions of people around the world up to this day. The Conclusion: Critical Discourse Analysis is a powerful tool for analysing speeches. Often, some speeches especially media texts, may not be comprehensible to the audience.Critical Discourse Analysis aims to demystify anything not apparent from the speeches and it tends to be more associated with power, struggle and politics, hence it has been appropriate to analyse Martin Luther King’s speech using Critical Discourse Analysis. Additionally, Reverend Martin Luther King’s speech owes its background to years of struggling, poverty and denial of opportunities for th e majority of black Americans. He delivers the speech in a perfect setting after a long March for freedom when everyone was quiet anxious and expectant by the end of the day.The authorities were carefully watching him and scrutinising every word that came out of his mouth. Despite all the attention, he delivered the speech flawlessly and without any fear. His style and rhetoric was just unique and his speech was very well received by those gathered and everyone else watching at home. He continually repeated the title of the speech, ‘I have a dream’ as he attempted top drive his message home. In using the critical analysis approach, the writer attempted to unravel some of the hidden meaning engrained in this speech.

CIA and Chiles Coup Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

CIA and Chiles Coup - Essay Example The CIA's covert actions during the two decades of 1970-1989 can be viewed as a coordinated assault on the socialist movement within Chile. The Cold War mentality had made Washington overly sensitive to socialist movements in this hemisphere as evidenced by their reaction to, and covert involvement in, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In an attempt to thwart any influence of socialism in Chile the US embarked on a multi prong operation over a period of twenty years. The aims of this action were to influence the elections, disseminate propaganda, disrupt the economy, foment an overthrow of Allende in 1973, encourage Allende's assassination, and repress the socialist movement through covert cooperation with the Direccin de Inteligencia Naciona (DINA). Recently declassified documents verify that these actions were taken as a coordinated effort that was financed and sponsored by the US government. The unrealistic fear of the spread of socialism resulted in a series on actions taken by th e CIA in Chile that escalated from political intervention to a clear cut case of state sponsored terrorism. The acts of supplying weapons to the opposition, encouraging violence, and supporting the murder of political adversaries defines the US activity in Chile as an armed intervention and an act of war, which can not be ethically justified. Interference in the democratic process is highly unethical and unacceptable in any situation, though may not rise to the level of a strict definition of terrorism. However, any unilateral armed conflict into the affairs of another nation that is not supported by a regional or international governing body must meet certain moral guidelines, or be labeled as terrorism. The just war theory contends that armed intervention can be justified if certain criteria are met. Coady argues that the ethics of a just war, "insists not only on the justice of the cause for which the war is conducted, but also on certain other restrictive conditions" (p.19). For example, the cost in human suffering resulting from the action must not exceed the amount of suffering that already exists. In addition, alternatives need to be explored, exhausted, and deemed unworkable. If the US had only immorally interfered in the elections, it could be seen as merely as a transgression of international ethics or possibly law. If lying during a campaign, illegal contributions, and voter suppression were acts of terrorism, our own two major parties would be guilty. However, many of the initial unjustifiable actions of the US in Chile did meet the criteria for unilateral state sponsored terrorism. As has been noted, interference in the free elections of a democratic process is immoral and unacceptable, but does not induce the fear and random violence required to be defined as terrorism. However, the extent of the US involvement and the unreasonable intrusion into Chile's democracy need to be examined to put the rest of the US activities into historical context. During the 1964 election, the CIA mounted an extensive anti-Allende propaganda campaign and funneled as much as $20 million dollars to the campaign of his opponent Eduardo Frei (Kim 30). The financing, and some 15 covert action projects, assured Frei an easy victory with 56 percent of the vote (Kim 30). Though Frei may have

America in Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita Research Paper

America in Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita - Research Paper Example So much of the consumer society must have been a shock to him, after the deprivations of wartime in Europe, and yet he identified very strongly with many features of his new home. Sweeney quotes Nabokov saying to a journalist in 1966 â€Å"I am as American as April in Arizona† (1994, p. 325) and links this curious alliterative statement with the period when Nabokov and his family lived in Arizona in the Spring of 1953: â€Å"On sunny afternoons that April (and all day long during one rainy week) Nabokov worked at telling one story in particular: Lolita, his most acute observation of America’s beauties and vulgarities, the most cunning, incisive and poetic American novel of this century. (Sweeney, 1994, p. 328). Lolita is set in working class provincial America, and its characters speak the idiom of that milieu. The object of his desire is a world weary twelve year old and Humbert indulges her love of vulgar and transient aspects of American culture: â€Å"Mentally, I found her a disgustingly conventional little girl. Sweet hot jazz, square dancing, gooey fudge sundaes, musicals, movie magazines and so forth.† (Nabokov and Appel, 1991, p. 148)The character of Humbert is portrayed as an immigrant of French origins, and in this character Nabokov plays out part of himself, quoting the narrative style of the realist novelist Flaubert in French with the phrase â€Å"Nous connà »mes† and contrasting this learned reference with the tacky motels that they visit (Nabokov and Appel, 1991, pp. 145-146). He sees the tackiness that is on offer as something faintly ridiculous, but uses it as a means to ingratiate himself with Lolita: â€Å"we had to buy its Indian curios, dolls, copper je welry, cactus candy. The words ‘novelties’ and ‘souvenirs’ simply entranced her by their trochaic lilt† (Nabokov and Appel, p. 148). Humbert merges his own intellectual delight in the language with Lolita’s love of trivia. Through her he learns to both love and hate

Evaluation analysing. developing management capability Essay

Evaluation analysing. developing management capability - Essay Example (Leech, 2004). The overall structure of the argument is really vague and presenter has not clearly formulated a better version of this extract. Generally, this extract indicates the use of AIDA model to get the attention of the audience by mentioning how much the market for DVDs in the educational sector is lucrative. (Yeshin, 1998). However, other elements such as preparation for presentation i.e. handling of overhead projector etc during the presentation clearly indicates that the presenter has not probably rehearsed his presentation before actually delivering this presentation. This fact also indicates the potential non-verbal behavior of the presenter as setting overhead during the presentation clearly reflects the fact that eye contact must have been lost with the audience. Further, the use of â€Å"I† is rather frequent than the use of â€Å"You† indicating a lack of rapport building and indicates more of an introvert type of personality presenting to an educated audience. This extract is also indicating a more use, of â€Å"I† rather than the â€Å"You† whereas this also seems to be an unorganized piece of presentation. Further, a business plan is always lengthy and details all the information about a potential product to be sold however, there is a clear indication of the lack of facts and information about the potential product but rather presenter is attempting to provide a completely different picture of the product by associating it with an entirely different example. Further the overall attitude of the presenter is probing in nature i.e. presenter is attempting to further probe something in order to make his case stronger i.e. develop interest however; the exact wordings clearly indicate the lack of confidence and interest of the presenter. This paragraph seems to be influencing in nature i.e. presenter is trying to sell the idea for new product by outlining the potential

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Win Some Lose Some Essay Casinos are more and more common in small communities. With this being said small communities are changing into a gambling economy. There are both negative as well as positive impacts of casino gambling on the economy. In some cases the positive aspects outweigh the negative. Casinos are good sources of economic development, creating jobs and providing resources needed to build a better economy. A casino is a good choice as to help with economic development. This is a great way to attract people who bring in revenue. Take the Northern Quest Resort Casino as an example; it is located in Airway Heights which is a small city. A once small town is now popular with the excitement of a casino. Before the casino there was just an airport, and an Air force base. Now that there is a casino there are a lot more stores, housing, and people. The growth of the economy is slowly increasing with Wal Mart, Village Center Cinemas, Spokane County Raceway, and of course the casino. When the casino was created many new jobs and opportunities were made for local people. There were many jobs before the actual casino was open which was construction and after it was built there were numerous jobs inside of the casino. The construction jobs declined once the casino was complete but there were still jobs inside of the building. The Kalispel’s HR department preferred to hire Indians only. The Kalispel Tribe and Northern Quest Resort Casino created approximately 1,600 jobs and about $1.1 million each month in local or locally affiliated goods and services. (Northern) However, the downside of a casino is that the community turns into a gambling economy and there can be negative consequences. State governments continue to have concerns surrounding organized crime’s attraction to Indian gaming. (Native) Residence in the area gets addicted to gambling, to the thought of winning big. Gamblers have the belief that if they keep playing then they will win. Addiction makes people do irresponsible things. Debt is major problem when it comes to gambling. People will go as far as theft, embezzlement, or even suicide. These actions make for a broken family. Counseling is the best way to go for a gambler’s addiction. In the end it all comes down to the people in the community and their own choices they make. Choosing whether to gamble or not is entirely up to them. They have the right to do whatever they please and do whatever is best for them. It also presents problems in neighboring communities. In the result of the casino local industries had lost business due to the competition. For example The Davenport hotel had lost numerous guests to the Northern Quest Casino after they added the hotel. (Kamstra) Local businesses are losing revenue due to the casino but in a way the casino is actually bringing in more people than before. The revenue has grown rapidly and the combined revenues of all gaming enterprises in the United States are reported to be on the order of $75 billion per year. (Henson) The casino has a tremendous profit and where is the money going? The Northern Quest Casino is owned by the Kalispel tribe of Indians, money then goes back to the tribe. A wellness center was built not too long ago with the funds. If Kalispel tribal members wish to go to college then the tuition is fully paid for through the tribe. The Kalispel tribe also provides financial support to regional nonprofit organizations; they have donated over $5 million so far. The Kalispel Charitable Fund focuses on education, health care, arts culture, social services and environment conservation in the Spokane and Pend Oreille counties. The Northern Quest Resort Casino partners with the Harvest food bank to help fight hunger in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. The revenue from the casino also goes into the local community, schools, police, and produces tax revenue to keep the casino there. The casino mainly brings money into the government, charities, and workers. (Charitable) Luckily the Northern Quest Casino is not far from the Spokane International Airport, this means that many traveling people can stop by during a layover and try their luck. Along with all of the gamblers there are people who would want to see the scenes or come for events taken place at the casino. The Northern Quest Casino has a hotel, a club, sporting events. They put on concerts and pow wows as well. Events like these bring in many crazed fans and many Native Americans. During European colonization Native Americans’ lives were changed. Native Americans lost their land, caught diseases, and were forced to do many things. They were forced to assimilate and were forced to convert to Christianity. They basically lost everything, including their freedom. In a way people owe it to Native Americans to let them evolve as a sovereign nation and improve their economies. For once Native Americans are at their best. Gaming is giving Native Americans their tribal economic independence. Native American tribes have come a long way with becoming a sovereign nation compared to the past, they get to set their own gambling regulations and have their own casinos. As of mid-2006, 224 of the 561 federally recognized tribes operated gaming operated gaming enterprises. (Henson) The Spokane tribe of Indians located in Wellpinit is one tribe that is trying to get their economy going. They currently have two casinos, three gas stations, camping grounds, an amphitheater, and a marina where boat houses can be rented out. One casino is located on the reservation and the other is located in Chewelah. Their goal is to have a successful casino in Airway height just like the Northern Quest casino sometime soon. The Spokane Indians put on many events throughout the year such as Jam Fest, Native American Heritage Day, Poker Run, art auctions, many pow wows, and they put on concerts every weekend during the summer at the amphitheater. The growth in the number of Indian nations having gaming enterprises is increasing. This industry keeps evolving as tribes with services expand. Casinos have definitely brought in many rewards and benefits to the tribes and surrounding areas. Works Cited Charitable Fund. Kalispel Tribe. 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. . Davis, Mary B. Native America in the Twentieth Century: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland Pub., 1994. Print. Henson, Eric C. The State of the Native Nations: Conditions under U.S. Policies of Self-determination : The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. New York: Oxford UP, 2008. Print. The Kalispel Tribe of Indians ‘ website gives a great example of the good of having a casino which is they give to a charity. Kamstra, Brooke. Personal interview. 17 Feb. 2012. I felt it was suitable to put that the casino has been a competition ever since it added a hotel. The personal interview was from an employee at The Davenport hotel. Northern Quest Resort Casino. Kalispel Tribe. 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. .

Art Nouveau Movement, Dadaism and the Punk Art Movement

Art Nouveau Movement, Dadaism and the Punk Art Movement Art Nouveau is generally seen as using an approach to design involving a particular flowing style which artists should use when working on everything from architecture to furniture and from jewellery to posters and thus making Art Nouveau part of everyday life. Art Nouveau was the most popular artistic style in graphic art at the turn of the century and was at its most popular at the turn of the 20th century; roughly from around 1890 to 1905. It was commonly used within architecture and decorative arts. It was quite a simplistic art style and had a whip lash ripple or floral effect where a lot of the imagery looked as though the starting point had been curved in the style of a whip curves when it is about to strike something. Everything was flowing and elegant. The French underground stations still have their entrances and platforms, signs and railings exactly as they were when the movement was at its height. Czech artist Alphonse Mucha strongly influenced the Art Nouveau movement when he produced a lithographed poster, created as an advertisement for the play Gismonda and appeared on the first of January 1895 in the streets and walkways of Paris. It was an overnight sensation and announced itself and its creator as a new artistic form to the citizens of Paris. It was originally named Mucha style and later became known as Art Nouveau which means new art in French. Art Nouveau was strongly used over a fifteen year period and was most widely used through Europe from Glasgow in Scotland, to Moscow in Russia and to Madrid in Spain but its influence was worldwide. Art Nouveau was a popular form of graphic design with detailed prints and bright colours which set the atmosphere of the imagery within. It was usually used for posters which drew the viewers eyes first to the outlined figures inside and then to the text within and then you would notice the fine detail around the whole image. The art style was a new form of Japanese inspired art and had a William Morris style of repetitiveness such as used in his wall-papers within the detail. In Spain, the Art Nouveau movement was centred in Barcelona. Architect Antoni Gaudà ­Ã‚ ­, whose decorative architectural style is so highly personal, created the Casa Batllo. The house had already been bui8lt but he remodelled it completely in the style of Art Nouveau, and is most widely regarded as being the complete essence of Art Nouveau. Such distinctive buildings can be found all over Europe and America, except in Warsaw, Poland where the Nazis and the Communists destroyed all such works on the basis that they were decadent. I love the intricate detail of Art Nouveau and I liked the amazing patterns produced with this style within poster designs and architecture and I thought that it was outstanding that this sort of design could be achieved, but I felt that it is not my style of art. I like to produce detailed pieces but a stranger style would suit me more. I then decided to move away from Art Nouveau and move more into the styles of Dada with are more interesting and confuse the viewer, the style is very different to what has been previously produced and that is why I have decided to do more of a Dada approach to my project now. The Dada movement started first in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I. European artists and international writers created the Dada movement, from 1915 to 1922 and were marked by a spirit of anarchic revolt. French poet Tristan Tzara stabbed the pages of a dictionary with his penknife to randomly choose a name for the movement. The importance of chance displayed within Dada art is highlighted by this random act in itself. The style of Dada took great pleasure in absurdity and prioritised the role of the unpredictable and unexpected in artistic creation. Its purpose was to make fun of what its participants considered to be the nonsensical meaninglessness of the modern world. Dadas beginnings relate broadly to the outbreak of World War I and for many participants the movement was a protest against the conformist nationalist and colonialist interests, which many in the Dadaists movement believed were the root cause of Worl War I, and against the cultural and intellectual conformity in art and more broadly in society in general that corresponded to the war. In addition to anti-war, Dada was also anti bourgeois, nonconformists, and anarchist in nature. These expressions can be compared to the anti-conformity of the Punk movement. Another key feature in one of Dadas most infamous exhibitions was a lack of respect. This was shown in an exhibition organised by Max Ernst where axes were provided for visitors to smash all of the works available on show. Otto Dix, Hans Richter, Marcel Duchamp, George Grosz, and Jean Arp are among the leading Dadaists. Pop art was strongly influenced by the Dada movement, and was sometimes called neo Dada. Dadaists seeming to show lack of seriousness towards things on the surface, while the Dada artists were really galvanized by false belief and strong moral outrage at the horrendous, unprecedented carnage and utter destruction of World War I. Shocking people out of their complacency was the ultimate aim of the movement. Dada generally involved visual arts, poetry, art manifestoes, theatre art, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti war politics through rejection of the prevailing standards in art through anti art cultural works. Dadas purpose was to mock what its contenders thought to be the meaninglessness of the modern world.. Dada represented the opposite to everything for which art stood. While broad, the movement was unstable. By 1924 in Paris, Dada was transforming into surrealism, social realism and other forms of modernism. Some theorists believe that Dada was actually the beginning of postmodernism art. According to its participants, Dada was known as anti-art. Everything for which art stood, Dada represented the opposite. Dada made the foundations to abstract art and sound poetry, postmodernism, and performing art, a great influence on pop art, and a celebration of anti-art which later would be taken up by anarchistic political uses during the 1960s and the movement that set the ground work for Surrealism. I felt that Dada was quite an interesting art period due to the style of its workings and its slight mysteriousness to it. The images produced during this time were unusual at the time and were seen as weird as is seen as today. The style of Dada is quite eye catching with its strange shapes and dull colours, it makes the viewer want to try and understand the picture so in a way Dada was quite a successful form of graphic design. Although the Dada period has been a very interesting and successful graphic design art period, I have decided to evolve from this period into the form of Punk art. Punk art is more interesting for me because it uses bolder colours and has a more upfront and to the point style of things which is why I have chosen to move onto this art period for my project. The Punk ideologists are an assembly of mixed social and political beliefs within the Punk subculture. In its first standing the Punk subculture originally was troubled with ideas including anti- authoritarianism, individualism, rebellion, discontent and free thought. The political ideology most often associated with punk is anarchism. Punk ideologies are often expressed through Punk rock music, Punk fashion, Punk literature, either spoken word recordings, or Punk visual arts. Many Punks have expressed their extreme radical views through direct action, such as boycotts, protests, vandalism, squatting, or destruction of property. Dada artists were quite hard to find so I had to look at other artists like Theo. Dapore to help me in numerous inspirational aspects of my graphic design and then use those artists style in a way to make it more Dada. This seemingly simple task, because of the style of Dada, was not as easy as you might think, it was more difficult to make the style of Dada come to life than I had thought and so I decided to move to a similar style era that would be more fun and more creative for me that I could come up with many more ideas and designs with, so I decided to move to the punk era. Having seen posters and other designs produced from this era, like stuff from the sex pistols, I thought this would be an excellent way for me to use my graphic design skills, to make my versions of these posters and other outcomes and so I thought this is the era I would use for my final outcome for the unit. Punk fashion was primarily a highly individual demonstration of nonconformity, as well as rebellion  against popular culture and the homespun hippie counterculture. Punk fashion is usually styled to  portray rebellion, aggression and individualism. Some punks choose to wear clothing and tattoos that express or relate to social and political factors in their style. Punk visual art is often styled on the same type of socio-political message. Many punks wear second hand clothing, often as an anti-consumerist statement. Their style was very visual and very aggressive, such as wearing safety pins pierced through their bodies as jewellery, and extreme spikes in their hair, fashioned from glue and hairspray and vividly coloured in reds, greens and blacks and other wonderful styles, all as original and outlandish as possible Punk visual art is artwork which can often be found on punk rock album covers, punk show flyers , and punk magazines. It is often shown as deliberate distortion, such as using of letters cut from magazines and newspapers, a practice earlier associated with kidnapping and ransom notes, so that the senders handwriting was not recognizable. Most of the earlier artwork was created in black and white, because it was published and distributed in punk magazines printed at public copy shops, but later when colour was used in later more expensive productions it was often typified by being high key, often using fluorescent yellow and pink contrasted with black. A good example is the album cover of the Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks album designed and created by Jamie Reid. One of the loudest and most outrageous of the Punk Bands The Sex Pistols along with their manager Malcom McClaren were notorious Punk Rockers; the group itself for their anti-establishment music and him for his Punk fashions and music. Vivienne Westwood and her then-partner Malcolm McLaren shook up British fashion forever with their Punk fashions. They opened a store on Kings Road, known as Let it Rock, which became an outlet for their creative talents respectively. The store is still there and is known as Worlds End.   I used the artist Theo. Dapore to make my punk style poster. Using minimal colour and posterized images with rich blacks. The outcome was just red black and white highlights on images because I liked the way Dapore has painted his images so that the background is very saturated with the main focus being very rich in colour, usually being very vibrant. The red in my poster design is a sort of dull red but not too much as to not lose the colour entirely. For my final piece I have made paper skeleton punks that are just looking anti social. I chose to do this because when looking through the internet images for inspiration I came across some paper sculptures and decided I wanted to do something like that. So I printed off one of the sculptures you could make yourself and thought of ways I could replicate it without actually doing it the way it had been done. Instead of having parts that cut through each other to keep them in place I thought that if I glue gunned and sewed and stapled the parts together instead, it would give me more texture and would make them more unique than something that you can print off and make anywhere. I liked the idea of making paper skeleton punks because I wanted to see what I could do with paper. I had done previous outcomes using paper but none that made it into 3d sculptures and so the idea of making this was quite a challenge fore me.

Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn | Analysis

Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn | Analysis Huckleberry Finn is original in the sense that we can feel the presence of Twains voice, as well as Hucks voice. Throughout the entire book, Huck speaks to us in the colloquial language of his time; which drove me mad. The first chapter of Huck Finn establishes Hucks personality and the current state of his times. He lives in a town where it is quite common to own slaves. This is most obvious reason why the book was banned. Instead of a sequel to the childish Tom Sawyer, it is a novel that deals with the political and social aspects of slavery. It also has gratuitous use of the word nigger. In fact, it occurs 215 times, and is probably the reason why it was banned so quickly. Frankly, I dont think that should be a reason to ban a book, but I think that Mr. Twain went a little overboard. However, it does portray the history of the times, and is done so with brutal honesty. The term was used by both whites and blacks. For whites, it was a term of degradation and inferiority; for blacks , it was probably a term used for identification, or maybe self-loathing. Huckleberry and Tom came into a large sum of money due to their previous adventures. Under the household of the Widow Douglas, they make an effort to civilize Huck. Huck was a country boy, and he appreciated their attempts, but ultimately found civilized life boring. Douglas does put Huck in school, and he begins to adjust to this new life. However, Hucks new life is disrupted by his Father. His Father is everything you wouldnt want in a dad. Self-absorbed, disgusting, and in rags, he is not the kind of father-figure anyone would want. Pap is mad that Huck has learnt to read. This stems from the fact Huck is the first person in the family to do this, and he is mad that his son has gotten an opportunity that never presented itself to Pap. Pap is so interested in Huck because of the amount of money Huck was able to acquire. After the Judge agrees to protect Hucks money, he is promptly sued by Pap. Huck is then kidnapped by Pap and spends time in a cabin in the middle of the woods. Huck begins to miss society, and resents being cooped up. He eventually finds a weakness in the cabins infrastructure, and plans an escape. After sawing his way out of the cabin, he makes it look like robbers ransacked the place, consequently killing Huck. After meeting Jim on the island he has sailed to, they from an alliance produced by one mutual feeling: fear. Jim is a very superstitious person, and Huck makes fun of him for this. Huck places a deceased rattlesnake near Jim when he is sleeping. Other snakes smell the dead rattlesnake, and bite Jim. Jim is ok, but their operation is in danger. After dressing up as a girl, Huck goes into town to ask for information. A woman lets Huck know that they have spotted smoke over their island, and her husband is going to look there that night. Thus, Huck and Jim make a raft and drift downstream for many days. After losing their raft, they steal a raft belonging to thieves. Through all of this, we can see that Huck is open-minded, but still ac ts on impulse. This brief synopsis serves a purpose through all of those chapters, Huck has developed a relationship with Jim. With Jim being a black slave, it sends Huck into emotional turmoil. He comes to question what society has taught him, and whether or not blacks are truly equal, on an intellectual and physical level. He is torn between the options of returning Jim to Miss Watson. Looking at it from a southern way of life, Huck has run off with 800$ of personal property. This perverts Hucks decision making process, and by doing the wrong thing, he has ultimately saved Jim by not turning him in. In a way, society has changed what is morally right to Huck; by doing the wholly unmoral thing of his time, he feels better than doing the other immoral option. After a brief separation from Jim, he learns that he much prefers Jims company than the Grangerfords especially after seeing the brutal gunfight. Jim was able to save the raft from three black slaves because of one reason: he stated that it was his white masters raft. This in itself is a testament to Hucks times. When you are able to threaten other men with the color of someone elses skin, there is something blatantly wrong with that society. Huck and Jim soon have the pleasure of meeting two con artists known in the book as the duke and dauphin (acting under aliases). Although their cons appear comedic on the surface they are a huge threat to Huck and Jim. Knowing all too well that Jim is a runaway slave (despite Hucks best effort) they are able to use this as blackmail. Their first con together is done during a church service, which shows how incredibly immoral the two men are. I began to grow more and more confused as I progress through Huckleberry Finn. No one in the book has a clear definition of right and wrong. A man named Sherburn murders a defenseless drunk because he was insulted. When a mob forms he is able to save himself by giving a speech on human nature. Eventually, the mob regresses. The fact that he, a murderer, is able to talk about human emotion and nature is in itself despicable. Keeping in mind that this speech on morals was given by a killer adds to the confusion of the reader and the Huck. Sherburn attacks the mob mentality and human nature of the common person. However, this human cowardice and mob mentality is what drove Huck and Jim from their home town of St. Petersburg.

British Influence Turned the Indians From Civilized to Savage-Like Essa

British Influence Turned the Indians From Civilized to Savage-Like The average British citizen in America during the 17th Century had a preconceived notion of Indians as savage beasts. However, before the arrival of the British, the New England Indians, specifically the Wampanoag tribe, lived a harmonious and interdependent lifestyle. Conflict among the Wampanoag was limited to minor tribal disputes. The war methods of the Indians were in fact more civilized than the British methods. The close living quarters of the British and Indians forced the Indians to adopt aspects of British civilization in order to survive, such as the ways of warfare. Douglas Leach in his book Flintlock and Tomahawk: New England in the time of King Philip's War argues that British influence on Indian society turned the Indians from savage to civilized. This paper will argue that British influence turned the Indians from civilized to savage. The examination of Wampanoag behavior from before British influence through King Philip's War proves that Wampanoag beliefs became more materialistic, that land ownership became important, and that unnecessary violence became a part of their warfare. The way the Indians conducted war, although it appeared primitive and frightening, in actuality was less barbaric than the Puritans way of warfare. Leach describes the Wampanoag way of battle as unsophisticated and dance around a fire beating drums with their faces painted in order to demonstrate their ferocious manners. Then, using bows and arrows, tomahawks, and knives the Indians would send small groups of warriors against their enemy village. As a form of revenge during war the Indians often scalped their enemies as a trophy or captured their enemies for... ... in reality the Indians showed more civility than the British. It was not until the adoption of British methods that the Indians behavior became uncivilized, ruthless and cruel. Works Cited Anderson, Virginia DeJohn. "King Philip's Herds: Indians, Colonists, and the Problem of Livestock in Early New England." William and Mary Quarterly 51.(1994): 601-624 Drake, James D. King Philip's War: Civil War in New England 1675-1676. Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Press, 1999. Hirsch, Adam J. "The Collision of Military Cultures in Seventeenth-Century New England." The Journal of American History. 74. 4 (1988): 1187-1212. Leach, Douglas E. flintlock and Tomahawk: New England in King Philip's War. NewYork: Norton, 1959 Salisbury, Neal, ed. The Sovereignty and Goodness of God by Mary Rowlandson with Related Documents. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997.

Graduation Speech: The Climb :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Good evening family, friends, teachers and fellow graduates. This special night marks our achievement over the past thirteen years. Tonight we come to the top of a mountain in our lives and look ahead to the numerous more to come. It seems like just yesterday we were eighth graders in middle school, wishing we were twelfth graders in high school. (You have to remember that back then we didn't know if a freshman meant you were in twelfth grade or if a junior meant you were in ninth.) We've definitely come a long way to be where we are today. Being students at Wilson, "The School of Pride," has helped us all with our climb over Mt. Education. Learning the basics to climb Mt. Education didn't just start in high school; it began a long, long time ago. Our first experience with the climb started out in our six years of base camp, formally known as elementary school. The next stage in our climb was when we were able to climb the part of the mountain with the gentle slope. The smooth slope of the mountain took us a whole three years to accomplish. As you have probably guessed, the gentle slope was middle school. These were the steps we took to get to our third stage in our climb of reaching the peak of Mt. Education, also known as high school. It all began at freshmen orientation when we learned just how much control we would have over our educations here at Wilson. We also discovered that we not only would be choosing the classes we took, but the teachers as well. Next, from a chant that was yelled at us from the seniors in our first pep assembly, we learned that seniors do rule the school. During the pep assemblies we also learned how to show our school pride and spirit. Overall, in our first year here at CHS we encountered many faculty members and students that would help us on our journey up the mountain of education. Throughout our years of high school we have perfected our methods of climbing Mt. Education through experiencing many first times together. To start things off there was the first Friday night varsity football game at the stadium. We also had dances that were actually cool like homecomings and tolos. We even experienced many new things in the classroom such as writing research papers, taking extremely difficult tests and learning a foreign language.

La Grande Odalisque Essay

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres was born on August 28th, 1780. He became one of Jacques-Louis David’s most famous and successful students. During Ingres time working with David, and eventually turning away from him, he became a part of the Neo-Classicism movement; leaving behind, but not forgetting the Romanticism methods. Neo-Classicism is the 18th century restoration of tradition principles which lead Ingres to be one of the most famous draftsmen. Ingres was an extremely precise and talented man of his time and was most famous for his portraits; especially his portraits of female nudes. In the year 1814, Ingres created one of his most famed masterpieces, La Grande Odalisque. It was created in Paris and still remains there in the museum by the name of The Musà ©e du Loure. The painting is well-known for its subject of fantasy and eroticism; she was a passive, mysterious and an unknown being to the Western world, which made her audience long for answers. Throughout Ingres life he created many pieces of work. In his well ahead years, Ingres continued to paint and surprise his faultfinders. He eventually ended up on top, being viewed as â€Å"one of the greatest living artists in France† during that time. (Rifkin 15) He left behind many fans but no apprentices to carry on the Neoclassicism heritage. Ingres painted many historical, mythological, and religious subjects; however, he is probably most respected for his portraits and female nudes. Ingres’s style highlights skilful formations, along with smoothly painted surfaces, and very thorough drawings. â€Å"In 1814, he created one of his many famous masterpieces, Grande Odalisque. It is 91 cm in height and 162 cm in length (35.8 Ãâ€" 63.8 in).† (Peirce 50) It is an oil painting on canvas, with a subject of make-believe and sexuality. The painting was commissioned by Queen Caroline Murat of Naples, Napoleon’s sister. It was painted in the Neoclassicism movem ent in Paris, along with many of his other works. This one in particular is of a nude female, who transpires to be an odalisque. â€Å"An odalisque was a female slave in an Ottoman seraglio, especially the Imperial Harem of the sultan.† (Peirce 54) La Grande Odalisque was formed by Ingres using some of David’s ideas and creating a female nude, in a bizarre and unfamiliar way. To the Western world she was nothing like they’d ever seen before, which caused confusion but a desire to want to know everything about her; â€Å"In the mind of an early 19th century French male viewer, the sort of person for whom this image was made, the odalisque would have conjured up not just a harem slave, itself a misconception, but a set forth fears and desires.† (Shelton 75) This was mainly because of the way in which Europe considered Islamic Asia; they viewed the people there as unique, barren and careless. To observers she was located in an almost make-believe world, much like how Western culture viewed the Eastern side o f the world; fantasized. At the time it was ignominious for its physical wrongness; in specific, â€Å"the nude female was thought to have three lumbar vertebrae too many†. (Shelton 78) It was an opinion stressed by art critics, but was never challenged or proven. When it had finally been studied, they found something out of the regular, â€Å"we measured the length of the back and of the pelvis in human models, expressed the mean values in terms of head height, and transferred them to the painting.† (Peirce 81) The falsification was found to be greater than what had been presumed originally; â€Å"La Grande Odalisque had five, rather than three, further lumbar vertebrae†(Peirce 81). Basically, she is structurally impossible; her pose is one that would be impossible to mimic. Since Ingres combined rationality and realism into his paintings some critics believe the deformation may perhaps exist on purpose and stand for an emotional motive. The way in which the woman’s head is placed and how it the distance it is away from her pelvis suggests, â€Å"the artist may have been marking the gulf between her thoughts and her social role† (Shelton 79) The face of the woman is where the observer’s eyes are drawn. Her expression is secluded, care-free and mysterious; giving her an almost secret filled feel about her. Her role as a harem is not to think of feeling; she is there only for the purpose of pleasure. â€Å"This theme is consistent with the role of women in the nineteenth-century views on female gender roles — â€Å"public women,† i.e., prostitutes, fulfilled a vitally important social role as repositories of male sexual desire.† (Siegfried, Rifkin, Willey 34) Her gaze pulls viewers into her unknown world; captures and traps. The main reason for her existence is to wait upon a man, but not just any man; her husband. With knowing that her husband is the only man to ever see her in this state, the viewer is pulled in and knowing they will never be able to experience her, â€Å"she was part of the sultan harem, she was there to satisfy the carnal pleasures of the sultan, despise what she may feel or want. She reflects a woman ´s deep thoughts, complex emotions and feelings.†(Peirce 48) Her gaze tortures the viewer into looking and makes it difficult to look away. This piece is full of sensuality, mystery and romanticism. The woman is surrounded by a dark background; black with many different shades of blue. Her and her body are really the only aspect of the painting holding any light colours. With this, she stand out to the viewer; making her more striking than ever. Even with her imperfections she is blessed with flawless skin, shoulders, legs, arms and hands. The items nearby her, the peacock fan, the turban, and the pearls suggest an unfamiliar place; an exotic place. At her feet lies a hookah, which may come to the viewers as a shock; it’s not for tobacco but rather opium. The harem may come off to observers as irrational, passive and drugged, which creates more desire to know what she’s about. Is she offering it, or is she just high? That is a question that will never be answered, a question that keeps the viewers’ attention. La Grande Odalisque is what Western society believes a harem would look like. She is of the unknown but in a way that it becomes familiar. Since this is what the Western part of the world imagines and fantasizes about Islamic Asia, it makes them believe they are superior to what’s in front of them. Ingres conveyed his subject of wants and desires by painting La Grande Odalisque, and having the Western part of the world view it; you want what you can’t have. That is one way in looking at it, another is: â€Å"Some art historians have suggested that colonial politics also played a role.† (Shelton 81) Either way, Ingres combined what was happening to the world around him, two places so unfamiliar colliding together, with what the Western world wanted to see; what is actually happening is a completely different story than what one wants to believe is happening. La Grande Odalisque is recognized for its subject of desire for the unknown; her gaze, her pose, and the inferior, yet exotic, items surrounding her are what makes her so incredible to what people consider the norm. She has deficiencies but her overall appearance is perfect; she is nothing like her observers, which makes her that much more wanted; it’s a conflict between La Grande Odalisque and the viewer. Society, even today, is scared of the unfamiliar. We take situations, events and even the little parts in life that we are unsure of and turn it into something that can be confronted, even if it’s not reality; it’s what human beings do to feel safe from what we consider the abnormal. What makes this painting so unique is that people critique the way in which viewers see her, instead of the way she sees us; she is an unacquainted with us, as we are with her.